







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Eh, es la gerente de marketing en la empresa. |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Realmente no me siento con ganas de unirme a ellas. |
| Don't you think two forks are enough for us? | ¿No crees que dos tenedores son suficientes para nosotros? |
| It seems there is no one in the house! | ¡Parece que no hay nadie en la casa! |
| It's like there's evil hidden inside them! | ¡Es como si hubiera maldad escondida dentro de ellas! |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Claro, nuestra cocina está recién remodelada... |
| I've only got Saturday left before I have to move on Sunday. | Sólo me queda el sábado antes de que me tenga que mudar el domingo. |
| I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names sometimes! | Lo siento, ¡a veces no soy bueno recordando nombres! |
| Do you live around here? | ¿Vives por aquí? |
| No, what is that? | No, ¿qué? |
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Por supuesto, mi nombre es Cate y mi número es 077... |
| It looks like you've got some experience with coffee. | Parece que tienes algo de experiencia con el café. |
| There is a little market near the school. | Hay un pequeño mercado cerca de la escuela. |
| I need to wake him up now! | ¡Tengo que despertarle ahora! |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | Es un robot en el cuerpo de un niño, pero él no sabe que es un robot. |
| Don't you think it's too far away from the tube station? | ¿No crees que está demasiado lejos de la estación del metro? |
| That's why they're 50% off. | Por eso tiene un 50% de descuento. |
| What's your maximum monthly budget for the rent? | ¿Cuál es tu presupuesto mensual máximo para la renta? |
| That's nice, the cupboards look good, the bench is okay... | Eso es bueno, las alacenas se ven bien, la mesa está bien... |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 grados deberían estar bien. |